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Islamic Human Rights Commission
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10 November 2009

PRESS RELEASE: Global – If anyone deserves an award, it’s President Obama’s speech writer

President Obama accepted his Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday.  In his acceptance speech he outlined a justification of conflict and highlighted the ‘positive’ role of the United States in the world.

IHRC is wary of President Obama’s leaps from justifying ‘just wars’ to justifying the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Obama talks the language of justice and fairness but perpetuates an illegal war in Iraq and legitimises and protects Israel’s flagrant violations of international law.

In his speech he claimed to have prohibited torture. However, President Obama, while accepting the use of torture under the previous administration, has failed in his positive duty under the U.N. convention against torture 1984 to prosecute those individuals who have committed torture.

IHRC Chair Massoud Shadjareh states:

“Either President Obama is extremely naïve or dangerously manipulative. America spends more than the entire world combined on military expenditure. The United States have made $63 billion in arms sales over the last 5 years. We feel that President Obama has had enough time to justify his impressive rhetorical flourishes with some substance. Sadly, all the world has seen is promises and a continuation of the Bush doctrine of war on foreign countries that are alleged threats to the U.S.”

For more information please contact the Press Office on (+44) 20 8904 4222 or (+44)7958522196, email: info@ihrc.org.[ENDS]

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The Islamic Human Rights Commission is an NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom

Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
Fax (+44) 20 8904 5183
Email: info@ihrc.org
Web: www.ihrc.org